The 10 Most Terrifying Players in College Football Today

It's OK to be afraid. It's natural, and when it comes to dealing with some of the most terrifying players in college football, it makes complete sense.

We get to watch from a distance as these guys run around, over, past and through other players. Those on the field who are tasked with defending, stopping or at least slowing down the game's scariest don't have that luxury, and we feel their pain. We're also glad we don't have to experience it firsthand.

Being a terrifying college football player isn't just a matter of physical appearance, though in some cases that adds to the fear. It's more a matter of how much that player's skills and abilities strike fear in the hearts of his opponents, knowing they're very likely to end up on a highlight reel as the players getting steamrolled or juked out of their cleats.

Taking into account how they've performed this season and how much they've terrorized their foes in 2015, here's our look at the 10 scariest college football players. They're listed alphabetically rather than as a ranking, since everyone's fears are different.

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU

The fear associated with Trevone Boykin occurs more during film study and practice sessions prior to facing him and his uptempo TCU offense, as well as during pregame warm-ups. Once the game itself begins, though, it's more a matter of being resigned to one's fate.

Much like knowing that, if you go inside that dark house at the end of the street, you're probably not coming out.

Boykin is having by far the best season of any quarterback in the country, with numbers that are surpassing what he did in his breakout year in 2014. He's tallied 3,451 yards of total offense and accounted for 34 touchdowns, and his elusiveness in the open field is such that even opposing coaches have no option other than to respect his game.

If it weren't a matter of ego, we might see opposing players high-five Boykin after faking out half of a defense like he does on a routine basis.

Kentrell Brothers, LB, Missouri

Missouri hasn't had a good season to this point, bringing a three-game losing streak into Thursday's home game against Mississippi State. The Tigers' problems have been mostly limited to the offense, though, while on defense, it's more of the same from the past few years, where star players emerge on an annual basis.

The latest is Kentrell Brothers, a senior who will lead Mizzou in tackles for the second year in a row but in far more impressive fashion than in 2014. He had 122 tackles in 14 games last season and already has 103 in eight games this year along with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Those numbers match up with any other player in the country, yet it wasn't enough to get him on list of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.

"Fifty people who eat, sleep and breathe football believe there are 10 college linebackers better than Brothers, the face of one of the nation's most imposing defenses," Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote.

Brothers plays angry, so it's not like he needs extra motivation. But this snub doesn't bode well for Mississippi State's ball-carriers and receivers or for such players on the rest of Missouri's opponents.

Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor

If you're covering Corey Coleman, odds are you're going to get on TV—but only briefly, since the camera is going to follow the Baylor wide receiver all the way to the end zone while quickly moving away from the spot on the field where he's broken your ankles or stiff-armed you to the ground.

The Baylor wideout has 18 touchdown catches this season, four more than any other player in the country, in just seven games. That's on only 47 receptions with an average of 20.5 yards per catch.

The FBS single-season record for TD catches is 27, which Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards accomplished in 1998...on 140 receptions.

With a TD success rate of better than 38 percent, it makes sense that defensive backs are lining up so far off the line when trying to defend Coleman. It hasn't mattered, though, since whether he's facing press coverage or being given a wide berth, he's blowing past everyone.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This rises to a different level when it involves dressing up like someone else, and even more so when Halloween comes into play.

Leonard Fournette was probably already aware of how revered (and feared) he is, but that really hit home when he noticed how many kids dressed as him for trick-or-treating, he told the Advocate.

"It just made me think about how many people look up to you, and it makes you want to do the right thing each and every day," Fournette said.

As the overwhelming national leader in rushing yards, with 193.14 per game, when Fournette dresses as himself on Saturdays, it's the scariest Halloween ever for defenders.

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Doing a "would you rather?" game with nothing but Myles Garrett scenarios is enough to fuel nightmares for weeks. Would you rather have Texas A&M's explosive defensive end come at you from straight ahead or chase you down from behind? Or would you prefer him to just blindside you, so you never knew what hit you?

It doesn't really matter what your choice is, since Garrett will probably end up doing all of them in the same game.

After setting the SEC freshman sack record in 2014, Garrett is topping himself on a weekly basis. The Aggies defense has struggled the last few weeks, but the sophomore continues to dominate with 10.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

Derrick Henry is a block of granite at 6'3" and 242 pounds, and when someone of that size gets up to full speed, it's completely understandable why potential tacklers have their eyes closed as he comes their way. No one wants to actually look at the truck that's about to hit him.

And when that out-of-control locomotive has the strength to lift more than twice his weight (see above video), this is an even scarier concept.

Henry asserted himself as Alabama's best offensive weapon last month, averaging 28.3 carries per game in the Crimson Tide's last four outings. Not surprisingly, they've won all four of those games by 16 points per contest.

He'll get to match touches with LSU's Leonard Fournette on Saturday in a major national showdown. We're the winners by getting to watch this one, while both teams' defenders are the ones we should worry about.

Christian Kirk, WR/PR, Texas A&M

Sometimes, the anticipation of what's going to happen is scarier than the act itself. This could describe the fear that exists when dealing with Christian Kirk. It's somewhat like walking into a pitch-black room and wondering what terrors lurk in the dark.

The Texas A&M true freshman is one of the top all-around threats in the country, averaging more than 152 yards per game. And that comes on fewer than 10 touches per game in a mix of receptions, rushes and punt and kick returns. He's scored six touchdowns, four on passes and two on punt returns, but he's also picked up big chunks of yardage returning kickoffs as well as on a few rushes from the backfield.

"Putting Christian Kirk on your freshman All-American team is probably one of the easiest decisions of any this year," Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer tweeted earlier this season.

Braxton Miller, HB, Ohio State

A three-year starter at quarterback who, because of injury, was forced to make a position change this season, Braxton Miller might be even more imposing now that he no longer has to throw the ball. That's because the senior can rely even more on his phenomenal athleticism than before, which has been a boon for Ohio State and a headache-inducer for opponents.

His skills as a route-runner are still being developed, but there's no doubt that Miller has the hands to make big catches. And once he's got the ball, look out. Or, rather, watch out.

Just ask the Virginia Tech defenders who ended up looking absolutely silly as Miller turned the corner on a run play and then hit the B button on his Xbox controller and executed one of the prettiest full-speed spin moves you'll ever see.

Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss

There have been a lot of scary moments involving Robert Nkemdiche this season, though not all of those were in a good way.

On defense, the Ole Miss defensive tackle has done his usual damage by clogging up the middle and destroying pass protection, though his numbers (21 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one blocked kick) might not indicate this. His impact has been felt most in the stats of his teammates and the Rebels defense as a whole, since he draws so much attention that others are able to thrive.

Nkemdiche has made more of an individual impression on things when getting a chance to perform on offense, which this season has resulted in two rushing touchdowns on four attempts and a 31-yard TD reception. But that's probably not likely to happen again in 2015 after he suffered a concussion on a run play during Ole Miss' loss to Memphis, knocking him out and severely hurting its defensive game plan.

Darian Thompson, S, Boise State

It's usually a certain cornerback whom quarterbacks have to worry about when deciding where to throw the ball, but Darian Thompson makes it so you have to fear the entire Boise State secondary when scanning the field.

With 19 career interceptions, Darian Thompson is now the most prolific pass thief in Mountain West Conference history. The senior has five picks this year after picking off seven passes last season, four as a sophomore and three as a freshman.

"Darian Thompson is one of the best playmakers in the nation on defense," Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller tweeted last month.

Thompson's presence on the back line has made such an impact for Boise that it's enabled the rest of the defensive backs to benefit. The Broncos have 16 interceptions, which is tied for the FBS lead.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.